The last drop of water touches my chapped lips, caresses my tongue and slides down my parched throat. The village seems so far away. I stretch out my left hand and stick out my thumb. The mountain village - the place that I'm heading towards - is barely the size of my thumb. The scorching sand beneath my feet seems to be giving way. Or maybe, just maybe, it's my legs whispering to me that they cannot go any further. No. I must go there. I must go to my First Love! The wind blows and I let it carry me for a moment. Waves of sweet sweet memories wash over me. I remember the time that we ran along the beach. The sand, then, was soft, warm and comforting. I remember the days when I had no food. You fed me, without ever once looking down on me. I remember crying - no, sobbing, in Your embrace. I remember the taste of freedom, as I lingered in the bosom of Your love. I plug in my ear piece and use up the 1 per cent of battery that I have been conserving. "I am a flower quickly fading, here today and gone tomorrow, a wave tossed in the ocean, a vapour in the rain. Still you hear me when I'm calling -" The screen goes blank. The air goes stale, again.
I drag my feet forward. One, two, three, four, five... The ground seems to be closing in on me. Racing towards me. My head hits the earth and I am suddenly engulfed in blankets of dust. I shut my eyes - a sign that I am finally accepting this tragic end to our story. My mind goes back to the day that I met You for very the first time. Tears trickle down my face as I realise that I may never see You again. I surrender. I surrender...
....
....
All of a sudden, I am lifted off the ground. Beneath me are arms as solid as steel. Pressing against my face is a chest as sturdy as the Theodosian walls. And beneath that seemingly indestructible chest is a fluttering heart. I listen closely to the familiar rhythm of that beating heart. I heave a sigh of relief as the corner of my lips inch upwards.